Qatar records 51.7mn payment system transactions valued at QR16.13bn in July

20/08/2025 06:12 AST

Qatar recorded a total of 51.7mn transactions valued at QR16.13bn through the country's payment system in July 2025, according to the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) data.

While the number of transactions witnessed 5.78% decline, total value was up 1.51% month-on-month in July 2025, the QCB said in its social media handle X.

The point-of-sales constituted 51% of the payment system transaction, followed by e-commerce 27%, Fawran or instant payment system at 20% and Qatar Mobile Payment or QMP at 2% in the review period.

There were 40.33mn card transactions through point-of-sales - which enables merchants to process payments and log transactions - valued at QR8.22bn in July 2025. The card transactions however saw 6.82% and 4.97% month-on-month decline in volume and value respectively.

The e-commerce transaction saw as many as 9.18mn transactions valued at QR4.36bn in the review period. The number of transactions shrank 4.77% even as value was up 1.87% compared with June 2025.

The point-of-sales and e-commerce together amounted to QR12.58bn in July 2025, which fell 2.71% on a monthly basis.

Fawran, a real-time payment service in Qatar, allowing users to send and receive money instantly and securely within the country, registered as many as 1.87mn transactions valued at QR3.27bn in the review period, registering 7.47% and 18.91% growth respectively on a monthly basis. There have been a total of 3.24mn total registered Fawran accounts, growing by 1.57% month-on-month.

Fawran was launched in 2024 and system members are QNB, Commercial Bank, Qatar Islamic Bank, Ahli Bank, Dukhan Bank, Doha Bank, QIIB and AlRayan Bank.

QMP - which allows immediate transfer of funds between registered customers through any registered payment service providers - saw as many as 320,097 transactions valued at QR277.05mn in July 2025, accelerating 53.16% and 32.19% against June 2025 levels. There has been a total of 1.2mn registered wallets, a 12.41% contraction on a monthly basis.

The QMP is a centralised payment system that was launched in 2020, to enable individuals and corporates to perform instant fund transfers between e-wallets within payment service providers in Qatar. The system members are QNB, Commercial Bank, Doha Bank, Qatar Islamic Bank, Ahli Bank, QIIB, Arab Bank, HSBC Qatar, AlRayan Bank, Dukhan Bank, i-pay and Ooredoo Money.

Qatar Payment System (QPS) is designed on the concept of real-time gross settlement (RTGS) and electronic straight through processing (e-STP). QPS is based on the SWIFT network and messages standards and utilises the SWIFT messages to reconcile and settle the local payments and securities ownership transfers.

QPS is linked to the QCB clearing system, book-entry government securities system, and currency issuing application. All applications are driven by swift messages such as (MT202, MT203).

Qatar's retail payment system comprise electronic cheque clearing system; national network system for ATMS and Points of Sales (NAPS); QMP; direct deposit and debit (QATCH); electronic payment gateway (QPay); wage protection system (WPS); and Fawran.

Gulf Times